Oihan Sancet Under Contract With Athletic Club Through 2024

Oihan Sancet signed a contract renewal through 2024 before his ACL injury (MD)

Oihan Sancet was set for a big year before a torn ACL brought everything to a halt in early September. Fresh off of leading Athletic’s Juvenil A team to one of the most successful seasons in history, the midfielder spent time with Spain’s U18s before being called up to train with the Athletic first team in the summer. He would begin the campaign in Bilbao Athletic’s starting lineup where he scored the opening goal of the season in a 2-0 win over Tudelano.

Sadly, Sancet suffered a knee injury in the following game against Gimnástica which was later confirmed to be a torn ACL. It was such a bad break that the 18-year-old required surgery quicker than usual and he’s been going through rehab ever since to get back on the field as soon as possible. Sancet, who joined Athletic’s academy in 2015, is one of the jewels of Lezama and his future is committed to the club.

Just before suffering his ACL injury, Sancet actually signed a contract extension with Athletic through 2024 according to Endika Río of Mundo Deportivo. However, the club never officially announced it. In a recent interview current Sporting Director Rafa Alkorta was asked about why he though the former regime chose not to announce it and he was actually taken by surprise.

“What is clear is that Oihan is one of those players that everyone tells you is going to be a great player and he will be”, Alkorta responded. “He had a serious injury, but he is a young and strong guy and those operations aren’t like they used to be. He will have no problems being the Sancet we’ve all seen, one of the best I’ve seen at Lezama.”

Sancet’s recovery from ACL surgery is right on track (Marca)

Sancet’s recover from ACL surgery has gone very well. It didn’t take the midfielder long to start posting videos on social media of him doing drills and working to strengthen his knee. He’s been training with a physio regularly at Lezama and Alkorta admitted that he could return this season. “Oihan has the quality to recover”, he stated. “The whole process has gone well so far. It’s possible that he will return to the team before the league campaign finishes, but which team he will be with is another question.”

Why the former Board of Directors failed to officially announce Sancet’s renewal is unknown. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the club rarely did so with youth players. That being said, Sancet can be considered as a first team player. He’s listed in the Bilbao Athletic squad on the club’s official website, but he’s been around the first team squad. For instance, he’s watched games at the San Mamés from the stands with the other first team players and was part of the group that recently visited children in the hospital. He will also train with the first team again during the summer.

When it comes to this situation the important thing is that Oihan Sancet is doing very well in his recovery and is under contract with Athletic through 2024. He has the potential to develop into one of the future stars of the first team. At this point his release clause isn’t known, although he is likely to have one instead of refusing a clause like Iker Muniain who started the trend a few months later. Regardless, his future is with Athletic and he will have every opportunity to earn a place in Gaizka Garitano’s team this summer.